Worse Than a Punch
by CabooseHeart
Summary: Pre-Canon/Pre-Ghoul Hancock. Nick is working a late night, until a drunk, high, young John McDonough bursts into his office for a late night hook-up. They don't exactly 'hook-up' in the way that John might've wanted, but it's in the way that Nick thinks they needed. Besides, who needs sleep when there's mysteries to solve and people to help?


**Worse Than a Punch  
**

 **Description: Written for "Nick Valentines Day" on Tumblr. Pre-Canon/Pre-Ghoul Hancock. Nick is working a late night, until a drunk, high, young John McDonough bursts into his office for a late night hook-up. They don't exactly 'hook-up' in the way that John might've wanted, but it's in the way that Nick thinks they needed. Besides, who needs sleep when there's mysteries to solve and people to help?**

 **A/N: The description sucks, but whatever. I'm really into Valentine/Hancock and it's starting to get out of hand... please forgive me. Also, please R &R (Read and Review)!**

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It's close to closing time. Nick's been raking his brain on his latest case for over five hours, yet he hasn't come across anything worth finding. The case is rather common for Nick in his career; wife ran out on her husband with their ten year old son, and didn't even take a gun on the way out to protect herself and the kid. Now hubby is terrified for his boy and angry wife. Nick sighs, running his least damaged hand over his face, carefully avoiding the giant gash in his left cheek. Hearing Nick's sigh, Ellie, his new assistant, flashes him a worried yet gentle smile from across the room. Unlike Nick, she's actually made some progress today, managing to somehow understand Nick's mess of documents and even figure out how to organize them properly.

Nick smiles back at the young brunette, appreciating her kindness. He looks up at the old pre-war clock hung upon the far wall, whistling as he sees the time. "That time again, Ellie," He announces, eyeing Ellie in the middle of a huge pile of documents and papers. "Why don't you head on home, hm? It's getting too late for you to be up going through all my junk."

Ellie raises an eyebrow, smirking mischievously at Nick. "I'm a big girl, Mr. Valentine. I think I can handle staying up a little after hours. Besides, I've hardly organized any of this mess."

"You need to sleep. And stop calling me Mr. Valentine! It's just Nick," Nick explains, but he doesn't sound too mad about it. "Go home, Ellie. I've got it from here. Besides, I'm a Synth. Synth's don't need to sleep." That's a lie; Nick needs rest just as much as anyone else, even if he rests differently, but he cares more about Ellie's welfare than his own.

Ellie scowls at Nick, ready to protest, but after a moment, she seems to resign. If she doesn't agree to go home and rest, Nick might make her sleep upstairs in his rarely used apartment, and she'd much rather sleep in her own bed than in Nick's lumpy old one. "Fine," She says, but she isn't happy about having lost. "But you better rest too, Valentine. The last thing this city needs is a passed-out detective."

Nick nods, smiling as Ellie walks out the front door, leaving the office for the night. He sighs once she's gone, resting his forehead on his desk. What he wouldn't give to be a human, if only for a second; he could binge on Nuka-Cola to keep himself awake for the next twenty-four hours instead of powering off. But no, Nick hasn't been human in a long-ass time, and that sure as Hell isn't about to change anytime soon. Just as Nick starts to drift into a comfortable, quiet subspace, the door to his office slams open, and in walks none other than John McDonough himself. Nick jumps at the sound, almost falling backwards out of his chair, but he recovers quickly, holding onto his desk for dear life as he rights himself. Meanwhile, John seems to be fuming with anger, and judging by his dilated pupils and labored breathing, Nick has reason to suspect that the kid's been getting wasted and/or drugged for the last few hours.

"Valentine." John breathes it out, chest heaving as he struggles to calm down and not hurt himself (Or Nick for that matter).

"John," Nick says back, giving the young man a neutral look. "What seems to be the trouble? I'm sorry to say, but I'm closed right now, so if it's not an emergency-"

Nick sees it coming, so he doesn't flinch when John climbs onto the desk and grabs him by the back of the neck, pulling him into a rough and heated kiss that's all teeth. Nick sighs mentally, wondering how in God's name John's gotten himself into such state. The poor kid has whiskey on his breath, and he's trembling just the slightest bit in Nick's hold. Nick wraps his arms around John's middle, pulling the man into his lap, as to make him more comfortable. He feels John sigh with relief, glad to finally be somewhere calm and safe as he unwinds, breaking the kiss as he rests his head on Nick's shoulder, panting heavily. He's coming down from his high, Nick knows, but he doesn't bring it up to him. He just keeps running his more robotic hand up and down John's back, his spider-leg fingers attempting to calm and relax the youngest McDonough.

"What's the trouble this time, John?" Nick asks, after John has had the chance to get his breathing right. "Is it Guy again?"

"Who else?" John asks, voice still a bit labored, but he pulls through it well enough to keep talking. "That dipshit has gone over the line this time, Nick. He caught me sneakin' out a few hours ago. It didn't take him long to figure out where I was goin'. He started... he just started goin' on and on about how good we have it now, how I shouldn't be wasting my time on those Ghouls... he talked about 'em like they were Molerats," He growls under his breath, a deep anger bubbling in his chest. "Then he started really grillin' me. Said I had better quit making' the McDonough family look like a couple of fools... I told him that he and anyone else in the McDonough family who agreed that the Ghouls of this city should go out and die could stick it."

"Damn," Nick comments, slightly impressed. Sure, John's definitely a rebellious and rambunctious young guy, but he's never cussed out his brother and family before. "I'm guessing that Guy didn't take it well?"

John chuckles, looking almost proud of himself as he smirks at Nick. "He fuckin' lost his shit. Started cussing me out right back. Back and forth, we went at each other's throats, throwing out cuss after cuss and insult after insult... then, well... I guess I said the wrong thing-" He pauses, swallowing, and his smirk is gone. "-'Cus as soon as I opened my mouth to call him something else... he slapped me. He slapped me; my own brother."

Nick freezes. Guy McDonough, no matter how little he gets along with his younger brother, has never resorted to hitting John. Nick's known the McDonough family for years now; he practically saw John and Guy grow up together, since John was nine and Guy was sixteen when they arrived in Diamond City. Even when they were kids, Guy never hurt John. Never on purpose. To hear that he's resorted to violence now... it honestly shocks Nick, and frightens him a bit, too. "I'm so sorry, John... I had no idea that Guy could even do that."

"I guess this year's all about surprises, huh?" John says, before continuing his story. "Anyhow, after he slapped me, I fell on my ass and Guy just... just stared at me. It was like he wasn't even Guy anymore. After I got my stupid ass up, he left the house. He didn't even apologize. So here I am..."

"I'm guessing you took a little 'chem break' on the way?" Nick adds, smirking when John looks away. He sighs, letting his hand rest in John's mess of hair, scratching at the man's scalp. "Well, I'm glad you came to me before you went and got yourself really hurt," He decides, standing up, John in tow. "Come on, you need to rest; it's bad enough that you have those drugs in your system."

John laughs outright. "Man, if I knew having you for a boyfriend meant getting carried everywhere, I would've dated your ass sooner," He jokes, before regaining a more serious expression. "But as much as I appreciate it, Nick, I've still gotta get those Ghouls to Goodneighbor. They can't make it there on their own, not without a guide, that is."

Nick groans internally, but relents, setting John down on his feet. "How about this? How about I go with you when you take 'em there, okay? The last thing you need is to go running around the Commonwealth while high. Again."

John smirks, leaning up on his toes to tease Nick with a kiss on his chin. "Fine. But I'm leading the pack, Valentine."

Nick nods, smiling fondly as he watches John run upstairs to his apartment to grab their gear. It looks like he won't be getting any sleep tonight, but hey, if it means keeping John safe and out of trouble... then Nick can lose a few hours of sleep.

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 **A/N: Not my best work, but I'm still trying to get to know these characters, so please, have mercy on me. Also, again, please R &R!**

 **~CabooseHeart.**


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